Tuesday, January 06, 2015

OpenStreetMap in 3d

Cycling the Alps is one of the few websites that makes heavy use of the Google Earth API. Now that the API has been deprecated by Google Cycling the Alps has begun looking at alternatives.

This map of the Alpe de Huiz Tour uses the Cesium JavaScript library for creating WebGL 3D globes. The map includes two map layers, a Bing Maps satellite view and OpenStreetMap's road map.

A 3d globe is not always the best approach for map visualizations but they can work well for visualizing bike routes. In particular a 3d view of a route is able to provide a great overview of the elevation demands of a particular cycling route.